TONY HAWK Skateboarding 100 - dawnbrightsu.ca
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
TONY HAWK
teaches
Skateboarding
MASTERCLASS
100
Table of Contents
2 Meet Tony Hawk 31 Park Basics
A peek at Tony’s exceptional life and An intro to basic park skating.
career. PLUS: A glossary of crucial PLUS: Tony’s skate park etiquette tips.
skate terms; breaking down the parts
of a skateboard; and everything you 34 Park Intermediate & advanced
need to know about buying a board. An intro to more advanced park skat-
ing. PLUS: A 60-second bio of park
15 Basic Skills & Techniques skater Lizzie Armanto.
Learn whether you’re goofy- or
regular-footed; learn how to push, 38 Vert Basics & Intermediate
stop, and more. An intro to basic and intermediate
vert skating.
17 The Origins of the Ollie
How Alan “Ollie” Gelfand changed 42 Vert advanced
skate tricks forever. An intro to advanced vert skating.
19 Skating’s Golden Age 45 How to Win
Examining how empty pools in Cal- Skateboarding’s journey from the
ifornia had a lasting impact on skate X Games to the Olympic Games.
culture. PLUS: A bit of history on PLUS: Tips for filming your own
Dogtown and the Z-Boys; the story skate videos; and five pointers for
behind one of the world’s most fa- crushing skate competitions.
mous vertical skate parks; and some
of the tricks that Tony has invented. 50 An Inside Look at
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
22 Creating a New Reputation How Tony’s video game empire
How Tony is using his star power— came to be.
and his namesake foundation—to
build skate parks in America and 53 The Future of Skateboarding
around the world. A look at the ways in which the faces
of skateboarding have evolved since
24 Street Basics the sport’s inception. PLUS: Water-
An intro to basic street skating. shed moments in the history of wom-
en’s skateboarding.
26 Street Intermediate & advanced
An intro to more advanced street 58 Parting Words From Tony
skating. PLUS: A 60-second bio of The Birdman offers a few final
street skater Riley Hawk. thoughts on your boarding journey.
1
Left: Tony in 1987
Right: Tony today
MEET Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk didn’t invent skateboarding, but nobody has
done more to grow the sport than the iconic Southern
Californian. As the creator of more than 100 highly technical
and influential tricks that redefined what was possible in vert
skating, a dominant force in ’80s and ’90s competitive skating,
the owner of multiple successful skate companies, the star
of a billion-dollar skateboarding video game franchise, and
a tireless advocate for the sport who has built hundreds of
skate parks around the world with his foundation, Tony isn’t
just the face of skateboarding. Tony is skateboarding.
2
The Beginning
Tony was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California. Intelligent but also
hyperactive, and determined to do or get whatever he wanted, Tony (the
youngest of four kids) was a handful for his parents. What he—and they—
needed was the right outlet for his energy.
When Tony was nine, his older brother, Steve, gave him a beat-up old blue
fiberglass skateboard, which he rode for the first time in the alley behind the
family’s house. Tony wasn’t immediately enamored with skating, but when he
visited his first skate park, he fell in love with the sport while watching people
do aerials out of swimming pools. I wanna fly. I wanna do that. Whatever it
takes, Tony recalls thinking. “I was relentless in trying to get what I wanted as
a kid, and that shifted to skateboarding and wanting to learn tricks.”
Hooked, Tony began skating in empty pools for hours every day at the now-
defunct Oasis skate park in San Diego. “When my dad would drive me to the
skate park, I would put my pads on in the car so that when we arrived I would
just bust out of the door ready to skate,” he says. “That’s how excited I was to go
there.” Not even his first big injury could deter Tony. After face-planting, losing
several teeth, and knocking himself unconscious at only 10 years old, he awoke
thinking not about his pain but how to avoid hanging up his wheels next time.
“I knew I was getting back out there, and I feel like that was a defining moment
of my career,” Tony says. “I didn’t mind getting hurt for the sake of progression.”
Finding His People
In skating, Tony found not only direction and a way to express himself, but
also a community that played an important role in his life. “We were like this
band of misfits, and we didn’t fit in anywhere, but the skate park was our home
away from home,” he says. “We all spoke the same language. We all were push-
ing each other to be creative and to learn new things, and I felt like that com-
munity really defined me.”
Undersized and scrawny, Tony wasn’t able to “fly” out of pools like taller, heavier
skaters could. Undeterred, he compensated for his physical deficiencies with
a revolutionary aerial move, performing ollies at the tops of walls so he could
pop himself up four to five feet in the air. This gave him the time and space to
execute more complicated maneuvers. His abilities turned heads, and by only
3
12 years old Tony was winning amateur contests throughout California. In 1982,
at 14, Tony went pro skating for the Powell-Peralta skateboard company on its
famous team, the Bones Brigade. He began traveling the country on weekends
to compete and do demos.
An Outcast Among Outcasts
The safe space that Tony enjoyed at skate parks stood in stark contrast to his
experience in high school, where he was bullied for being small, for having
an IQ of 144 and taking advanced classes, and for being one of two skaters at
his school—what Tony refers to as the “trifecta of
uncool.” In the early ’80s, people considered skate-
boarding a lame, weird hobby that a kid should grow
out of, and jocks tormented him for it. “School was
not a pleasant experience,” Tony says. “It was very Glossary
isolating. I basically learned to go to school kinda
undetected, go to my classes, and bounce.”
of Skate
Terms
By the time Tony was 16, the proliferation of half- A LITTLE CRAM
pipes and aerial tricks was making skating popular SESH BEFORE
again. Tony was dominating vert skating competi- YOUR JAM SESH
tions, making good money from prizes and endorse-
ment deals, and he was widely considered the best Air: Short for aerial.
competitive skateboarder in the world. But to his Aerial: A trick where
classmates he was still a nobody. “I would go to all four wheels leave
Florida and there would be fans and I’d be signing the vertical or hori-
autographs and I’d win prize money, and [then] I’d zontal plane.
come home and I was still a ghost in the hallways,” Backside: In general,
he says. He’d won three national titles by the time a trick executed with
he was 18, and even then, when people had heard the skater’s back
of Tony Hawk and knew he went to their school, facing the ramp or
obstacle. Also, when
nobody recognized him.
you rotate the back
of your body in
Despite his achievements as a young pro, Tony also the direction you’re
struggled for acceptance in the larger skate commu- riding.
nity. Initially his peers didn’t consider his inventive, Bail: While in the
trick-based style, which lacked the surf influence of air, deciding you’re
older skaters coming out of Dogtown (see page 19), not going to land
a style at all. Haters called him a “robot” and a “circus your trick and kick-
ing your board
away for a hopefully
4
painless landing.
Bonk: A short nose
grind involving a
quick tap of the front
truck on an obstacle.
Bowl: A skateable
object (like a pool)
where the transi-
tioned walls wrap
around 360 degrees
to form a bowl.
Carve: The act
of making big, fast
turns in the corners
of transitions.
Coping: A protrud-
ing edge, typically
made of metal or
Tony at 18 sitting on a ramp he built cement, that runs
along the lip of tran-
sitioned ramps.
Crew: The people
you skate with.
Disaster: The act of
skater.” They claimed that his groundbreaking ollies rotating 180 degrees
into aerials were a form of cheating. Thrasher maga- in the air—either
zine ridiculed him even as it reported his event wins. frontside or back-
It all stung deeply. “I was in this very small commu- side—then smacking
nity of skateboarding that was already isolated and the center of the
deck on the coping
outcast and weird, and then I’m a type of skater that’s
before reentering a
only doing tricks, and that made me an outcast in this bowl or ramp.
outcast activity,” Tony says. “And I was just extremely
isolated in that. I want to be at least accepted by this Drop in: The act of
going from a flat
community that I love.”
platform into a steep
transition. Also, any
Tony persevered and stuck to his personal style, obstacle that skaters
constantly pushing himself forward and invent- can perform that act
ing new tricks. “I wanted validation from the skate from by placing their
community, but at the same time I loved skating tail on the obstacle’s
too much to make that the only focus of what I was edge and leaning
forward.
doing,” he says. “At some point I learned how to do
these moves high in the air and I learned how to Fakie: When you’re
do them on different terrain, and that is kind of when in your normal
stance and rolling
the haters shut up.”
backward.
Flat / Flatbottom:
5
Any flat surface at
The results spoke for themselves. By the time Tony the bottom of a
was 25 and decided to step away from competition transition.
to focus on learning and inventing new tricks, he’d Frontside:
competed in 103 pro contests and won a record In general, a trick
73 of them, with 19 second-place finishes. For 12 executed with the
consecutive years, from 1984 to 1996, he’d been skater’s front facing
the ramp or obsta-
crowned vert skating’s world champion. And even
cle. Also, when you
Thrasher, which had once trashed him for having no rotate the front of
style, named him the magazine’s inaugural Skater of your body in the di-
the Year in 1990. rection you’re riding.
Goofy-footed:
A skating stance
where the right
The Birth of Birdhouse foot is the lead foot.
Half-pipe /
Vert ramp:
A majority of skate parks closed in the early ’90s A ramp composed
because liability insurance was too costly and inter- of a flatbottom with
est in the sport was dying down. There were fewer concave transition
competitions, street skating was overshadowing vert leading to vertical on
both sides.
skating, and Tony found his royalty checks from sales
were reduced by half each month. Handplant: A trick
that requires you
to do a one-hand-
But the turn of events couldn’t keep Tony down.
ed handstand while
In 1992 he teamed with fellow pro skater Per We- your other hand
linder to start his own skate company, Birdhouse grabs and holds
Projects (now Birdhouse Skateboards). Having your skateboard.
seen his beloved sport go in and out of fashion
Hang up: When your
several times already, Tony had faith that it would truck catches on the
eventually rebound. “I had to believe that,” Tony coping while reen-
says. “And also, I didn’t want to do anything else. I tering a transition.
loved skating too much. I loved skating so much Hardflip: A trick
that I was willing to struggle with a skate company, consisting of a fron-
to keep it afloat at huge challenges to my livelihood tside 180 pop shove-
and my lifestyle. I was eating Taco Bell and Top it and a kickflip.
Ramen, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for, Kick turn: When
like, two years. Sold my cars. Moved into a smaller you briefly lift the
place. But I was happy doing that if it allowed me nose of your board,
to stay in skating.” balancing on your
back wheels, and
For the next couple of years, while many of his peers swing the front of
your board in a new
moved on in pursuit of financial stability, Tony and a
direction.
Knee slide: A way of
6
controlling a fall by
small team of skaters traveled across the country do- sliding on plastic caps
ing exhibitions in skate shops and amusement park on your kneepads.
parking lots—three a day for a whopping $100 total— Ledge: Any elongat-
while promoting and selling Birdhouse products. ed block with edges
on which you can do
Tony’s belief in skating and Birdhouse ultimately paid slides or grind tricks.
off. In the mid- to late ’90s, the sport’s popularity Line: A number of
surged once more—in large part due to his own ef- tricks performed
forts and accomplishments—and Birdhouse blos- consecutively, or
somed into one of the biggest skate companies in the route a rider
plans to skate.
the world.
Lip: The edge of
any transition that a
skateboarder rides.
The Turn of the Century Lips are often built
with coping.
Lipslide: A slide in
Of all the years that Tony which the tail of
the board goes up
Tony at the 1998 X Games has been active, arguably
and over the obsta-
the biggest of his career cle and your board
was 1999. He’d returned slides between the
to competition in 1995 two trucks.
for ESPN’s inaugural alt- Manual: A trick
sports event, the Extreme where you balance
Games (since renamed on either the front
the X Games), and won or back wheels of
gold in the vert competi- your board without
tion that year and again in the tail or nose of the
board touching the
1997. In 1999, at X Games
ground.
V, Tony participated in the
Best Trick event and land- Nose: The front
ed skating’s first-ever 900 of the skateboard,
from the front truck
(two-and-a-half midair
bolts to the tip of the
revolutions) after 10 years board.
of trying, one broken rib,
and 11 failed attempts on Pocket: The con-
cave part of the
the day. “When I made it, it was like time stood still,”
skateboard’s curved
he says. “I didn’t really understand it had happened tail or nose.
until I was riding back towards the stands and the
crowd and everyone was rushing me on the ramp. Pump: Extending
your legs at the right
It still kinda doesn’t seem real that it happened.”
spot on a transition
Tony didn’t win the event—he’d completed it after to build up speed.
Rail: The edge
7
of the skateboard.
his time had run out—but the dramatic, jaw-drop- Alternately, a
ping feat made a huge impression on the massive handrail or any
live crowd, national TV audience, and those who other object
made to emulate
witnessed the highlight on SportsCenter.
a handrail.
A month later, Activision released Tony Hawk’s Razor tail:
Pro Skater, the first video game in what became a A chipped tail that
results from stop-
hugely influential, billion-dollar franchise that in-
ping your board
troduced skating to countless kids worldwide and by dragging the
inspired many of them to try skating for the first tail on the ground.
time (see page 50). With the 900 under his belt and
Regular-footed:
his titular game, Tony catapulted into mainstream
A skating stance
celebrity and became one of the most recognizable where the left foot
sports figures in the world. is the lead foot.
Revert: A rotation,
either frontside or
backside, done by
sliding the wheels
“Retirement” along the ground.
Rock ‘n’ roll:
A ramp trick where
Shortly after the 1999 X Games, Tony retired from you go up to the
competition, but his work in skateboarding was far lip, push your front
from over. He continued to develop new tricks and truck over it, stall,
draw huge crowds to skate exhibitions, launching then kick turn 180
degrees to reenter
his extreme sports tour, Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom
the transition.
HuckJam, in 2002. That same year, he founded the
Tony Hawk Foundation, which has helped build Session: Any time
more 600 skate parks all over the United States and skaters get together
at a spot to skate.
made the sport accessible to kids in disadvantaged
areas. An estimated 6 million young skaters use Slam: A hard fall.
those parks each year (see page 23). Snake: Someone
who cuts you off
Tony also continued building his business empire, or steals your line
expanding beyond Birdhouse and his juggernaut at a park or spot.
video game franchise with Hawk Clothing, the Tony Also, the act of
Hawk Signature Series of sporting goods and toys, cutting someone
off or stealing
several books, a film production company, a Siri-
their line.
usXM satellite radio show, and the immensely pop-
ular RIDE Channel on YouTube. Spot: Any location
with skateable
elements where
In 2009, Tony was inducted into the Skateboard- street skaters ride.
Stall: Holding a trick
8 for some duration of
ing Hall of Fame during its inaugural ceremony for time before reenter-
his many achievements in the sport. But the honor ing a transition.
didn’t mark the end of his skating career. Remark- Tail: The rear of the
ably, Tony landed another 900 in 2011 at 43 years skateboard, from the
old, and again, for what he claimed was his final rear truck bolts to
time, at 48 in 2016. On his 50th birthday, he blew the end of the board.
minds by performing 50 tricks he’d invented over Tic-tac: To pivot left
the course of his life. Now 52, Tony is still going and right on your
strong, as dogged and determined as ever. And he back wheels, either
plans to keep skating until the light goes out of him. as a means of accel-
The joy of skating is that great, and, as Tony says, eration or to keep
your balance when
“there are still new tricks to learn.”
landing a trick off
center.
With this MasterClass, Tony wants to empower you
to accomplish more than you ever thought you Transition:
Any surface for
could. He will teach you skate history, share his per-
skating that is not
sonal story of perseverance and achievement, and horizontal or verti-
show you how to do basic moves as well as a range cal. The curved
of street, park, and vert tricks. Now let’s get rolling. part of the terrain
that is between
0 and 90 degrees.
Truck/s:
The front and rear
axle assemblies that
connect the wheels
to the deck and
provide the turning
capabilities for the
board.
Varial / Shove-it:
The spinning of
the board along
its vertical axis.
Wheel bite:
When too much
weight is applied
to one side of the
board, causing the
underside of the
deck to touch a
wheel and stop its
rotation.
9The Basic Anatomy of a Skateboard
MODERN SKATEBOARDS HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THEIR EARLIEST
PREDECESSORS. HERE’S A QUICK DIVE INTO THEIR COMPONENT PARTS
Hardware: Nuts, Grip tape: Adhesive- Deck: The board upon
bolts, and screws backed sandpaper affixed which you stand. Decks
that hold trucks to the top of the board to are typically made of
onto the board. provide traction. seven or nine layers of
maple or birch wood that
are laminated together
and shaped.
Riser pads / Risers:
Hard plastic pads
inserted between
the trucks and
deck to raise the
Trucks: The front and overall height of
rear axle assemblies that the skateboard and
connect the wheels to the avoid wheel bite.
deck and allow the board
Bearings: Round
to turn.
metal discs that fit
inside the wheels,
mounting them
to the axle. The
inner and outer Wheels: What your board
parts of the discs rolls on (obviously). They
ride on interior are typically made of poly-
balls, allowing urethane and measured
wheels to turn. Radial by their size and hardness.
Radial
10The Skateboard Buying FAQ
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING YOUR FIRST BOARD
WHAT KIND OF WHAT SIZE DECK
BOARD SHOULD IS RIGHT FOR ME?
I GET? It depends on how big you are
Decks come in four basic and what style of skating you
shapes, and each one is plan to do. Decks come in many
designed for certain kinds different widths, and you should
of skating: choose your deck based on
width, not length, according
to these general guidelines:
X Shortboards are the shortest style
and are designed and shaped for get- X If you are under 3’5” and wear a size
ting air and performing tricks. Tony, 3 shoe or smaller, get a micro deck
Riley (see page 30), and Lizzie (see (width: 6.5”–6.75”).
page 37) all use shortboards.
X If you are 3’5”–4’4” and wear a shoe
X Cruisers, which often feature kick- between sizes 4 and 6, get a mini deck
tails, are easily maneuverable mid- (width: 7”).
length boards designed for cruising
streets. X If you are 4’5”–5’2” and wear a shoe
between sizes 7 and 8, get a midsize
X Old-school boards typically have deck (width: 7.3”).
a flat nose and kicktail and an asym-
metrical shape. They’re also generally X If you are 5’3” or taller and wear
wider. They work well for skating size 9 shoes or bigger, get a full-size
pools, ramps, or carving the streets. deck (width: 7.5” or larger). Once
you’ve reached a full-size deck, your
X Longboards are wider and—you skating style will dictate the right
guessed it—longer. They’re easily width for you. Some loose guidelines:
maneuverable, and, with their softer
wheels, best suited for transportation X 7.5”–8” for skating streets or
or downhill racing (not for tricks). doing more technical tricks
X 8”–8.25” for skating pools,
ramps, and parks
X 8.25” and wider for skating
vert, pools, and cruising
11Radial
HOW CONCAVE SHOULD MY DECK BE?
The concavity of your board is correlated to your
performance. Just like with board size, the right Radial Radial
concavity depends on the style of skating you planProgressive
to do. Here are common types of concavity that asymmetric
affect how the board feels under your feet and what
X Asymmetrical: With rails
kind of skating you can pull off:
that rise at different angles,
these decks give you more
power in your heels for turns.
Progressive Progressive
Radial Radial asymmetric
W-Concave convex
Radial W-Concave W-Concave convex
Progressive Progressive
flatcave asymmetric
flat
X Radial: This slight U-shaped X W-Concave: The W shape is X Convex: This atypical deck
curve is the most common found in the tail area, and the arches upward, giving you a
deck shape and it helps your extra curve in the centerline more natural foot placement
feet grip the board better, allows you to shift more ener- for downhill and slalom skat-
which is useful in most styles gy from your heel to your toe ing.
of skateboarding. flatcave
Progressivefor a highly precise, respon- flatcave flat
W-Concave W-Concave
asymmetric
Radial sive, quick-turning board. convex
W-Concave convex
Progressive flatcave flatcave flat
asymmetric
X Progressive: With a more X Tub / Flat-cave: Featuring X Flat: Found mostly on long-
dramatic curve than a radial, rails that extend at a sharper boards these days, this old-
these decks have a steep wall angle from the deck than a school design gives your feet
on the rail and a wider base radial board, these decks allow plenty of space and lets you
to give you more secure foot- you to shift energy quickly but do
flatboardwalking tricks.
flatcave
ing and help you to feel even W-Concavealso keep your feet flatter for a
convex
more locked in. smooth and relaxed ride.
12
flatcave flatDOES IT MATTER WHAT WHAT KIND OF WHEELS
WOOD THE BOARD IS SHOULD I GET?
MADE FROM? Skateboard wheels are commonly
Decks are typically made of birch, made of polyurethane and differ in
bamboo, or maple wood. Maple is the diameter (size) and durometer (hard-
most common and is ideal because it is ness). The wheels you pick will impact
flexible yet durable, so it can be shaped the way your board accelerates, turns,
easily without sacrificing strength. Plus and rides. The wheels that work best
it’s impact-resistant. for you will depend on the style of
skating you want to do.
X Diameter: Measured in millimeters (mm),
the smaller the number, the smaller the
wheel. Smaller wheels (50mm–53mm) give
you a slower ride and, because they’re lower
to the ground and more easily controlled,
work best for technical or street skating. Larg-
er wheels (60mm+) allow you to go faster,
provide greater balance, and are best suited
for cruising and vert skating. Between these
two is the average-size wheel (54mm–59mm),
which is a happy medium for beginners.
X Durometer: Measured on a Durometer A
Scale, which goes from 1 to 100 and measures
increasing hardness, harder wheels go fast-
er than softer wheels. For mellow cruising,
try the softest wheel (78a–87a), which can
handle rough surfaces. For street skating, try
a harder and faster wheel that still has grip
(88a–95a). For skating street, parks, ramps,
and pools, go with a wheel that is well-bal-
anced between speed and grip (96a–99a).
13Play It Safe With Protective Gear
Every skater has had the thought that protective gear looks lame. But you know
what looks really cool? Finally pulling off a trick without breaking all the bones in
your body. Tony recommends wearing protective gear when you’re starting out
and at any experience level when you’re skating pools, parks, and vert. Here are
the essentials:
X Helmet:
You should always wear a multisport or skateboarding helmet that fits your head
snugly (look for one with installable pads—it shouldn’t move when you shake
your head). A helmet should sit low on your forehead and have side straps that
form a V shape around each ear as well as a buckle that fastens tightly under your
chin. If you can fit more than two fingers between the strap and your chin, it’s not
tight enough. Also, be sure your helmet is multiuse and capable of taking more
than one hit.
X Wrist guards:
Wrist guards reduce the chance of twisting or breaking your wrists when you fall
or bail on a trick. Not everyone wears them, but they’re sensible if you’re starting
out and haven’t learned how to fall properly or if you tend to land on your hands
more than your knees.
X Knee- and elbow pads:
When you fall—and you will fall—pads prevent or reduce the severity of cuts,
scrapes, bruises, and burns. Additionally, kneepads can be used in a knee slide
maneuver to slide safely on a vert and other large transitions. Make sure yours
have sufficient padding and an external plastic cap designed to take abuse.
X Skate shoes:
Whatever your personal aesthetic, a good skate shoe has closed toes and flat,
thick, durable, slip-resistant rubber soles that hold on to grip tape and prevent
shocks from traveling up your feet. Padded tongues and thick midsoles are also
key for protecting your ankles from spinning boards and obstacles. These days
Tony’s preferred brand is Vans.
14BASIC SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
GOOFY
GOO
FY forward toward the nose of the
board but at a slight angle.
Y
GOOF
2. Use your back foot to push along-
side the board and propel yourself
forward. To get more speed, push
RE GU LA R multiple times.
REGULAR
3. When you’ve achieved your de-
sired speed, place your back foot
on the tail so that it’s perpendicular
Take a Stance: to the deck.
Regular or Goofy?
AR
4. Once your back foot is on the
REGUL
board, pivot your front foot to the
same perpendicular position as
There are two stances for skate- your back foot.
boarding: regular and goofy. Regu-
lar means that you skate with your
left foot forward and push your HOW TO
board with your right foot. Despite GET A RUNNING START
sounding like an insult, goofy simply 1. For this more advanced move,
means that you skate with your right hold the nose of your board with the
foot forward and push with your left hand that corresponds to your front
foot. (Tony skates goofy-footed, so foot (i.e., If you skate with your right
you’re in good company if you do, foot forward, hold the board with
too.) To determine which stance is your right hand).
right for you, stand up straight and 2. Run forward.
have someone push you gently 3. While moving, set your board
from behind. Whichever foot you down so your back wheels contact
brace yourself with is your lead foot. the ground first, placing your front
foot over the front truck bolts as the
front of the board comes down.
HOW TO 4. Place your back foot on the tail
PUSH so that it’s perpendicular to the
1. Place your front foot over the board. Alternatively, to get even
front truck bolts. It should face more speed, you can give the board
15a quick push with your back foot your heels or toes. Be sure to keep
before placing it on the board. your weight centered so that when
the board turns you don’t find your-
self off-balance.
HOW TO
STOP (BEGINNER)
1. While in motion, take your back HOW TO DO A
foot off the tail of the board and TIC-TAC
place it on the ground parallel to (AKA HOW TO MOVE
your board on the toeside. WITHOUT PUSHING)
2. Drag your back foot along the 1. With your board motionless,
ground, applying pressure to your place both feet in skate position,
foot until you come to a full stop. front foot over the front trucks,
Be sure to even out the weight you back foot on the tail.
place on your feet—if there’s too 2. Kick up your board slightly so
much weight on your back foot, you’re balancing on your back
you will stop, but your board will wheels.
keep going. 3. Using your bodyweight, quickly
swing the front of your board left or
right—about a quarter of a full kick
HOW TO turn (see below)—and bring your
STOP (INTERMEDIATE) front wheels back to the ground.
1. Place the toe of your back foot Make sure your weight is in your
on the tail of your board so that your front foot when you land, which is
heel is hanging off the back. what will propel you forward.
2. Lean back on your toe until the 4. Repeat steps two and three,
heel of your shoe contacts the swinging your board back in the
ground, keeping your bodyweight opposite direction this time. This
centered between your heel and back and forth “tic-tac” movement
your board. Be sure the tail of will naturally set your board in
your board does not contact the motion.
ground—if it does, you’ll find your-
self with razor tail.
3. Drag the heel of your shoe on the HOW TO
ground until you stop. KICK TURN
1. Kick up your board so you’re
balancing on your back wheels.
HOW TO 2. Using your bodyweight, quick-
TURN BY LEANING ly swing the front of your board in
1. With your feet in skate position, whatever direction you want to turn.
lean in the direction you want to 3. Bring the front of your board back
turn by placing pressure on either down to the ground.
16THE ORIGINS OF THE OLLIE
In 1977, 14-year-old Floridian Alan “Ollie” Gelfand—whose nickname came
from a favorite sandwich of his—was practicing a lipslide on a half-pipe. He lift-
ed up his board at the top, causing all four wheels to come up off the wall. The
board stuck to his feet while it scooped around 180 degrees. Gelfand’s friends
dubbed this groundbreaking hands-free aerial move the “ollie pop.” Subsequent
photos of Gelfand performing his “ollie air,” a feature in SkateBoarder magazine,
and the inclusion of his trick in the movie Skateboard Madness (1980) wowed
the skate community and opened up a world of possibilities in vert skating.
One of the many skaters inspired by Gelfand’s trick was fellow Floridian Rodney
Mullen, who appreciated the way the ollie allowed him to keep his momentum
on a ramp by scooping his tail and guiding his board around. Mullen decon-
structed the move and tried to take the vertical trick horizontal. The scooping
motion didn’t translate to popping straight up off of flat ground, but eventually
he realized that quickly snapping the tail of his board and kicking his front foot
forward—a move derived from an earlier trick he’d invented—leveled his board
out with a seesaw motion. Thus was born the flatground ollie, which 15-year-
old Rodney debuted in 1982 at the Rusty Harris Pro-Am Series in Whittier, Cali-
fornia. Called an “ollie prop pop” when featured in Thrasher magazine as a Trick
Tip a year later, it was subsequently simplified to an ollie. The move provided
air with which to do more complex flip tricks and allowed skaters to pop onto
obstacles like rails and ride continuously by jumping curbs. It ended up being
revolutionary and became the foundational move of street skating.
What the Ollie Can Do for You
“The ollie is the foundation to almost every trick on the street,” says Tony, “and
most tricks on ramps.” Whatever kind of skating you’re doing, being able to
bring your board up into the air by snapping your tail off of a surface opens up a
world of possibilities. In street skating, getting that air allows you to jump curbs,
to jump over or onto obstacles like rails and benches for grinds, to perform
board flips and rotations, to clear stairs on a jump, and more. In vertical skating,
the ollie is key to maximizing the air you need to perform the sickest of aerial
17tricks. So, take your time and get comfortable ollieing, then push yourself
to ollie even higher. From there, the only real limit to what you’ll do is your
imagination. (And gravity.)
Tony catches air during an ollie
HOW TO
OLLIE
1. With your front foot positioned
slightly in front of the middle of the
board, put your back foot all the way
on the edge of the tail.
2. Bend your knees so you’re
crouched down and ready to
explode upward.
3. Snap down on your tail hard with
your back foot so your board taps
the ground and starts to go verti-
cal. After snapping, bend your back
leg so your board can rise and your
back wheels can leave the ground.
4. Slide your front foot forward so
it catches the board and levels it
out, bringing the tail end up to your
back foot.
5. With both legs bent and main-
taining friction between your feet
and the board, straighten your legs
to bring the board back down to the
ground and land the ollie.
18SKATING’S GOLDEN AGE The
Boys of
Dogtown
A RAGTAG CREW
Mike Weed makes the most of OF KIDS FROM
an empty pool in the 1970s
CALIFORNIA WERE
RESPONSIBLE FOR
CREATING AERIAL
SKATING
Dogtown is an area
of southern Santa
Monica bordering
Venice Beach where
a group of young
outcasts, includ-
ing Tony Alva, Jay
Adams, and Stacy
Peralta, birthed
aerial skating. In
the 1970s, a crew
of surfers from the
then-impoverished
beach town com-
peted on the Zephyr
Surf Team, repre-
How a Drought senting their local
shop, Jeff Ho Surf-
Changed Skating Forever boards and Zephyr
Productions. When
waves were low at
When and why the first skater dropped into an emp- their local surf spot,
the infamous Cove
ty pool is anyone’s guess, but in Southern California,
at Pacific Ocean
the practice exploded in the mid-’70s as the result of Park, the “Z-Boys”
a drought. Decreased rainfall and water conservation practiced moves on
efforts led many homeowners to drain their pools, skateboards in the
freeing the bowls up for an unintended use. While streets and in pools
some skaters politely asked to use pools, others wait- void of water, cre-
ed and watched until homeowners left, then hopped ating a fresh new
surf-inspired style of
over fences into people’s backyards. Some even
skating.
went so far as to unscrew and remove pool slides for
their sessions.
19A golden age of skateboarding, it was an experimental time when skaters were
discovering new possibilities daily, building upon each others’ innovations and
blending styles. For surfers who skated, like the Zephyr Skateboard Team (aka
the Z-Boys), the transitions and walls of empty pools were the closest thing they
could find to a wave on land, and the inherent danger of wiping out on concrete
added extra excitement to runs. The Z-Boys revolutionized skating with their surf
moves, riding up walls and catching the first documented air. Along with other
skaters like Steve Alba, known as the “Godfather of Pool Skating,” pool skaters
inspired the next generation of skaters, including a young Tony.
The popularity of pool skating led directly to the proliferation of skate parks
with pools—such as the one in San Diego where Tony first watched skaters per-
form aerials and fell in love with the sport. The air skaters caught in those earlier
pools changed the verticality of skating completely.
Quite simply, without pool skating, skateboarding as we know it today would
not exist. There would be no big-air vert skating, no half-pipe titans like Tony,
Bob Burnquist, Christian Hosoi, and Shaun White. So, the next time you see a
bone-dry pool, don’t think of it as empty—recognize it is full of possibility.
The Story of Pipeline Skatepark
(aka Upland)
HOW THE WORLD’S FIRST VERTICAL SKATE PARK CAME TO BE
Pipeline Skatepark was a and the first fullpipe in a round pool with a small
legendary skate location park, Pipeline attracted shallow section. Pipe-
in Upland, California. pros like Steve Alba and line inspired and influ-
Stan and Jeanne Hoff- Chris Miller and became enced the construction
man opened Pipeline, the go-to location for of skate parks around
dubbed “The World’s skate contests and video the world even after it
First Vertical Skatepark,” shoots. The park gained closed in 1988. In 1994,
in May 1977, following even more fame world- a replica of the original
the emergence of vert wide when the Hoffmans Combi Bowl was built
skating in pools. Featur- added the Combi Bowl, a at the Vans skate park
ing the first vertical walls 12-foot-deep vert dou- in Orange, California, in
that were actually de- ble bowl that connect- collaboration with the
signed for skateboarding ed a square pool and a Hoffmans.
20A Long List of (Some of) the
Vert Tricks Tony Has Invented
THE MAD SCIENTIST OF SKATING HAS MADE UP MORE THAN 100 TRICKS
ON VERT SINCE HE STARTED SKATING IN 1977. HERE ARE JUST A FEW
720 Backside rewind Frontside Frontside Rodeo flip
grind bluntslide noseslide
900 Sacktap
Backside varial Frontside body G twist 360
360 flip varial revert varial Saran wrap
mute to fakie Bluntslide to
fakie Frontside cab G twist heelflip Shove-it
360 frontside body varial frontside
rock ‘n’ roll Cab backside Frontside cab nosegrind
smith disaster G twist varial
360 ollie to disaster revert Shove-it
backside Cab body varial Frontside cab rock ‘n’ roll
boardslide disaster revert Gymnast plant
Cab lipslide Shove-it to
360 varial Frontside cab Half cab body backside smith
disaster Cab revert revert varial lien
Slob G twist
360 varial Cab shove-it Frontside cab Half cab fron- one foot
McTwist Cab to tail tailgrab tside blunt re-
vert Stalefish
360 varial to tail Double kickflip Frontside G
twist Half cab to Stalefish 540
540 body varial varial indy
bluntslide Stalefish
Eggplant Frontside G
Airwalk twist body varial Half elguerial frontside 540
to fakie
Airwalk to fakie Frontside G Heelflip slob air Switch 540
Fakie heelflip
Alley-oop back- varial lien twist Madonna Switch backside
Heelflip varial
side bluntslide Frontside G lien ollie
Fakie to fakie
Backside 540 twist varial Switch indie air
Heelflip varial
heelflip body Frontside lien revert
varial Fakie to fakie Switcheroo to
frontside rock hurricane fakie
Indy 540
Backside ollie ‘n’ roll Frontside
one foot Invert to layback Tailgrab one
Fakie to fakie hurricane to foot 540
fakie air
Backside lien 540
ollie to tail Kickflip McTwist Varial 540
Fakie to fakie Frontside
Backside pop stalefish 540 kickflip body Lipslide revert Varial 720
shove-it varial
Fingerflip air Madonna Varial G twist
to fakie Frontside
L twist to tail Nollie heelflip
Fingerflip indy
backside air Frontside
nosegrind Ollie 540
Frontside 270 to
switch crook Ollie to indy air
21CREATING A NEW REPUTATION
Skateboarding Breaks New Ground
SEE HOW THE TONY HAWK FOUNDATION IS HELPING TO KEEP SKATEBOARDERS BUSY
Skateboarding has long had an outlaw image, largely because skaters had no
dedicated practice areas to call home. As far back as the mid-’70s, skaters were
getting into trouble with the law for trespassing, damaging property, and dis-
turbing the peace. When purpose-built skate parks largely disappeared in the
early ’80s and crews began street skating in places like office parks and locked
schoolyards, the conflict between skaters and non-skaters only worsened.
There was hardly a skater active during those days who didn’t have to ditch a
session to flee from an angry property owner, security guards, or police.
In the decades since there has been a concerted effort by local advocates
and civil authorities to build skate parks so kids have safe spaces to thrash and
stay active without disturbing others or grinding public property to pieces.
To that end, since 2002 Tony’s namesake foundation has worked with hun-
dreds of these advocates to create free parks for the public, raising more than
$9.2 million to help finance 623 skate park projects (and counting), especially
in low-income inner cities and rural areas across the United States. The Tony
Hawk Foundation has also partnered with Skateistan—an international nonprof-
it organization that uses skateboarding and education to empower children—to
build parks in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa.
According to a 2009 survey of 102 police officers in 37 states where Tony’s
foundation had contributed to the construction of a public skate park, the parks
are effective at keeping young skaters out of trouble: Surveyors found that 47
percent of officers noticed a decrease in overall youth crime since the skate
park opened, and 90 percent believed the skate park was an asset to the com-
munity, with 85 percent reporting a “significant decrease in complaint calls
from business and property owners regarding skate-related incidents/crimes.”
Skate parks, it turns out, do the trick.
22Skate the States
THE TONY HAWK FOUNDATION HAS DEDICATED MILLIONS TO BUILDING SKATE PARKS ALL AROUND
THE WORLD. USE THE HANDY GUIDE BELOW TO SEE HOW MANY THF HAS BUILT IN EACH STATE
3 6 4 8 66 12 1 2 11 10
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia
0 26 14 17 15 12 4 1 10 4
Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland
10 22 23 13 6 16 9 6 5 6
North New
Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana Carolina North Dakota Nebraska Hampshire
4 4 1 21 21 13 32 15 3 2
South
New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Carolina
6 5 23 4 7 7 30 31 12 6
South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virgina Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming
23STREET B A S I CS
Street skateboarding is a style that makes use of the limitless urban envi-
ronment. It found popularity the late ’80s and early ’90s as skating’s liability
insurance caused skate parks to close. With fewer places to go, skaters took
to the streets, using obstacles like curbs, handrails, stairs, walls, park bench-
es, picnic tables, and trash cans to perform tricks like grinds, slides, and
aerials. The beauty of street skating is that there are no hours of operation.
Virtually anywhere can be a skate spot (legality pending). The environment—
and what you choose to do with it—is boundless.
Pain vs. Progression
IN SKATING, SUCCESS IS OFTEN SYNONYMOUS WITH SUFFERING
Injuries are a part of skating. Whether you says. “I didn’t mind getting hurt for the sake
want to skate fast for transportation or to of progression.”
perfect tricks, practicing to achieve your That dogged determination to achieve
goals will most likely lead to at least a few your goals—no matter the scrapes, breaks,
literal painful moments of failure. (Yes, even bumps, and bruises you’ll certainly acquire
with the protective gear that Tony recom- along the way—is as much a part of skating
mends—see page 14.) as your trucks and grip tape. “I think there’s
Tony’s first big injury happened when he so much to learn from failure, through your
was 10. While performing rock ‘n’ rolls in a life,” Tony says. “You learn what you’re ca-
pool, he hung his wheels up on the coping, pable of, you learn what you can endure,
lost his board, and face-planted, losing and you learn to be successful through
teeth and knocking himself unconscious. those failures.” Before Tony landed his his-
When he awoke—just as an ambulance toric 900 at the 1999 X Games, he spent 10
arrived—his first thought was not about years getting banged up while trying to pull
his injury but about where the trick went it off. Only you can say exactly how much
wrong (he needed to lift his wheels more pain you’re willing to endure for your love
to avoid hanging them up). “I knew I was of skating, but if you’re anything like Tony,
getting back out there, and I feel like that no amount of pain will compare to the eu-
was a defining moment of my career,” Tony phoria of finally succeeding.
24HOW TO DO A to continue rolling backward when
BACKSIDE POP SHOVE-IT you land.
1. Position your front foot slightly in 4. Straighten your legs to bring the
front of the middle of the board with board down after you and the board
your heel hanging off the board. have both turned 180 degrees. If
Position your back foot on the tail you need to, you can land early on
of your board so that your big toe your front wheels (now at the rear)
presses on the tip of the tail. and pivot the rest of the way as you
2. While performing a basic ollie bring your back foot (now in front)
(snapping the tail of your board with down to complete the 180.
your back foot so the tail taps the
ground—see page 18), kick your
back foot behind you and your front
foot out in front of you.
3. As you’re in the air, bend your Riley Hawk demonstrating a street trick
legs so your board has room to rise
and spin beneath you. To keep your
board from over-rotating, don’t
push too hard as you kick out.
4. When your board has spun 180
degrees, extend your legs so your
feet catch it and bring it down to the
ground.
HOW TO DO A
FRONTSIDE 180 OLLIE
1. Position your feet as you would to
perform a basic ollie (see page 18).
2. As you’re about to snap the tail of
your board, open your shoulder and
turn your torso in the frontside po-
sition. This will provide the momen-
tum to make your board spin fron-
tside 180 degrees. If you find you’re
not spinning a full 180 degrees, turn
your shoulder even more.
3. As you’re leveling out your board
halfway through the turn, shift your
weight toward your front foot,
keeping your upper body over your
back foot. This puts you in position
25STREET I N T E R M E D I AT E & AD VA N C E D
HOW TO DO A
KICKFLIP
1. Position your front foot just be-
hind the nose of your board. It
should be hanging halfway off the
board on the heelside. Place your
back foot in the middle of the tail.
2. When you snap up as you would
when performing a basic ollie (see
page 18), kick your front foot out on
a slight heelside diagonal. Your toe
should catch the nose of the board
and send it flipping beneath you.
3. As you and your board travel, be A young Riley skates during
the 2011 Maloof Money Cup
sure to keep your weight over the
board.
4. When your board has flipped a heel to initiate the flip.
full 360 degrees beneath you, catch 3. When your board has flipped a full
it first with your back foot, then your 360 degrees beneath you, catch it
front foot, then extend your legs to with your feet and land the heelflip.
land the kickflip.
HOW TO DO A
HOW TO DO A BACKSIDE OLLIE 180
HEELFLIP 1. Position your feet like you would
1. Position your back foot in the doing a basic ollie (see page 18),
middle of the tail and your front with your back foot in the center of
foot just behind the nose of your your tail.
board, with your heel on the board 2. Before snapping your tail, begin
and your toes hanging off. Be sure turning your shoulders in a backside
enough of your heel is on the board direction. This will create the mo-
so it will catch your board as you mentum to spin you and your board
kick out. 180 degrees.
2. As you ollie (see page 18), kick 3. Pop your tail and slide your front
your front foot out diagonally to- foot forward while continuing to ro-
ward your toeside, catching the tate your shoulders around. If you’ve
nose of your board with your front timed your shoulder turn correctly
26with the pop, you and your board your front foot to flick forward and
will land after rotating 180 degrees. to the heelside to start the board
Be sure to also shift your weight as flipping, like you would in a kickflip.
you would with a frontside 180 ollie Be sure to jump high enough that
(see page 25) to ensure you keep the board has time to both rotate
rolling when you land. and flip a full 360 degrees.
4. As the board is nearing a 360-de-
gree rotation and flip, catch it with
HOW TO DO A your front foot to settle it, then
FRONTSIDE POP SHOVE-IT catch it with your back foot and
1. Position your back foot so your bring it down to the ground.
big toe presses on the tip of the tail.
Position your front foot slightly in
front of the middle of the board, Pro tip: When starting out, don’t
with your heel on the board and worry about catching your board and
your toes hanging off. landing. Focus on getting the flick-
2. Pop your tail while also pushing outs right so your board consistently
it out toeside to start your board’s rotates and flips 360 degrees.
frontside rotation beneath you.
3. Use your front foot to guide your
board as it rotates so it completes a
full 180. HOW TO DO A
4. When the board has nearly com- FRONTSIDE 50/50
pleted the full 180, catch it with your 1. Start out by skating parallel to the
front foot to stop its rotation, then obstacle you want to jump onto.
catch it with your back foot and 2. Pop your ollie (see page 18). Make
bring it down to the ground to com- sure you ollie high enough to clear
plete the trick. the obstacle completely so you can
bring your trucks down on it. (When
starting out, try with a lower obsta-
HOW TO DO A cle, like a curb, then work your way
360 FLIP up to benches and rails when you’re
1. Position your feet as you would comfortable.)
for a kickflip (see page 26) but with 3. Rotate slightly frontside so both
your back foot more in the pocket of your trucks land on the edge of
of your tail. the obstacle in a grind position. Be
2. With your back foot, pop your sure to land on the heelside of your
tail down and use your toes to flick trucks—if you land on your toeside
toward your heelside with enough you can slip out of the grind and fall
force so that your board rotates 360 backward off the obstacle.
degrees in a backside direction. 4. Grind in a forward motion and
3. Just after you pop your board, use come off at the end of the obstacle,
27putting pressure on your tail to bring so that the board slides straight and
your nose up as your front truck doesn’t rotate further.
clears the obstacle. 4. As you approach the end of the
obstacle, turn your board straight
for your dismount and landing.
HOW TO DO A
FRONTSIDE SMITH GRIND
1. Start by skating parallel to the Prolific skater Nyjah Huston (see page
obstacle you want to jump onto. 54) takes over a street in Montreal
2. Pop your ollie (see page 18) like
you would when doing a frontside
50/50 (see page 27).
3. Land your back truck on the
obstacle, dipping the nose of your
board to the side of the obstacle.
4. Lean on your back foot enough
to ensure that you have sufficient
momentum to push your back truck
through the grind completely but
not so far back that you’ll fall back-
ward.
5. If you’re grinding a ledge, lean
more on your toes—the top of the
ledge will support you. If you’re
grinding a rail, lean on your heels to
make up for the lack of support on
the side.
HOW TO DO A HOW TO
BACKSIDE TAILSLIDE KICKFLIP DOWN STAIRS
1. Skate parallel to the obstacle you 1. Approach the stairs with sufficient
want to jump onto, keeping it on speed to clear the set.
your backside. 2. Perform a kickflip (see page 26) as
2. As you pop your ollie (see page your front wheels are almost at the
18), rotate your shoulders, turning edge of the stairs. Flick the board
backside 90 degrees so the tail of quickly so it will flip 360 degrees
your board lands on the obstacle well before landing and you have
and slides. time to bail out if you need to.
3. Once on the obstacle, stop your 3. When your board has flipped 360
shoulder rotation and point your degrees, catch it with your feet to
head in the direction you’re heading stop it from flipping any further.
28If you fail to stop your board, you HOW TO
might land on its side or bottom, BOARDSLIDE A HANDRAIL
risking injury. 1. Approach the handrail at a slight
4. Spot the landing and ride away. angle instead of straight on. Make
sure you have enough speed so that
if you fall, you don’t wind up taking a
Pro tip: Before even attempting to rail to your crotch.
kickflip down stairs, get comfortable 2. When you’re near the rail, perform
ollieing down stairs, making sure an ollie (see page 18) high enough so
you have enough speed to clear your front wheels will clear the rail.
them. Also, start with a small drop, 3. While in the air, rotate your body
like a curb or a couple of stairs, be- frontside so you land the middle
fore proceeding to a big set of stairs. of your board on the rail, travel-
ing sideways. Be sure to keep your
weight centered over your board so
you’re balanced on the rail.
4. When you’re dismounting the
Riley feeble grinds a rail rail, simultaneously turn your board
and body back to their original posi-
tions so you can land and ride away
straight.
HOW TO
FEEBLE GRIND A RAIL
1. Approach the rail like you would
to do a boardslide but with even
more of an angle. Be sure the rail
is on your backside.
2. Ollie up, making sure to get
enough air so your front truck clears
the rail.
3. Land the back truck and the toe-
side of your board on the rail at the
same time. Keep your weight on
your back heel.
4. While you’re grinding the rail, keep
your weight centered over the rail.
5. As you near the end of the rail,
shift your weight back slightly, lift
your board, and straighten it out so
you can land and ride away safely.
29G E T TO K N OW
STREET SKATER
RILEY
HAWK
TONY’S SON IS MAKING
A NAME FOR HIMSELF APART
FROM HIS FAMOUS POPS
Age: 27
Where He’s From:
San Diego, California
When Did He Turn Pro?
December 6, 2013, on his 21st
birthday. That same day, Skate-
Boarder magazine named him its
2013 Amateur of the Year.
Sponsors:
Baker and Lakai
Skate Vid That Inspired Him:
Lakai’s Fully Flared (2007)
Notable Wipeouts:
Repeatedly damaged both ankles,
requiring reconstructive surgeries and the addition of synthetic ligaments.
Tony told GQ that injuries like Riley’s would normally be “career-enders.”
(Thankfully they weren’t.)
Fun Facts:
Riley has appeared in two video games from his dad’s famous franchise: Tony
Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. In addition to skating, he
is singer-guitarist for the hard rock band Petyr, a visual artist, and also works
on motorcycles.
30PARK B A S I CS
Park skateboarding is a style that uses purpose-built skate parks, which
typically feature a mix of vert and street skating elements such as half-pipes,
quarter pipes, handrails, stairs, pools, bowls, pyramids, and ramps. The world’s
first skate park, Tucson, Arizona’s Surf City, opened in 1965, but the mid-’70s
saw an explosion of parks inspired by the popularity of pool skating in Southern
California. In addition to their versatility, skate parks also offer a safe space for
skaters to practice their craft—meaning they won’t get into trouble with the law
for trespassing or damaging public or private property.
31Tony’s Skate Park Etiquette and Tips
SKATE PARKS ARE A GREAT PLACE TO WORK ON YOUR SKILLS AT ANY AGE, BUT THEY CAN
BE DANGEROUS IF YOU DON’T RESPECT THE FLOW OF THE ACTION OR KNOW THE OFFICIAL
AND UNOFFICIAL RULES. TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE,
FOLLOW TONY’S ADVICE.
X Skate during off-hours.
The emptier a park is when you’re first starting out, the better. You’ll get more
practice runs in because you won’t have to wait for others before taking your
turn, you’ll be less likely to collide with someone, and, if you’re self-conscious,
there will be fewer eyes on you. (Generally speaking, skaters are supportive of
each other trying to learn new tricks, so try not to stress yourself out. Everyone
is there to learn and get better.) Try going early in the morning, when people are
still asleep, or during school and work hours. (Not that you should skip school
or work—but you know what we mean.)
X Observe before joining in.
To avoid collisions, park skaters take turns. This is especially important when a
park is busy. Watch when and from where people skate so you understand the
order and flow, then claim your spot and take your turn.
X Make sure you are seen.
With all of their twists and turns and elements, skate parks can create blind
spots. To reduce the chances of running into someone else, make your pres-
ence known, and be sure you’re in the clear before dropping in.
X Watch out for “snakes.”
A snake is someone who skates out of turn and takes more turns than they
should. They steal time from others and potentially endanger them.
X Wear protective gear.
Even if you avoid collisions, there’s always the possibility you’ll slam hard trying
a trick. Tony recommends wearing a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads (see
page 14) so you can enjoy skating for decades to come.
X Read and follow the park’s official rules.
Every park will have a list of rules to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment.
Do your part and check them out anytime you skate a new park.
32You can also read
